Year 0002, The Imperium
---
August's soul was currently floating between the life and death realms.
He felt nothing; he was neither asleep nor awake; he had no thoughts; he had no feelings, and at the moment he was at peace.
It was somewhat dark, but there was also light seeping through; it was a perfect balance.
Rather, it was comforting to be there; it felt like he was inside his mother's womb.
Not that he knew how it felt back then.
But at the moment he relished the warmth surrounding him that the void provided for him.
---
Elsewhere there were panicked voices that occurred, his system, its managers, and its admin.
They did all that they could to keep their host alive or else lose their interesting prospect forever.
There was also an epic battle between life and death; life was trying its hardest to wrap its light around the dying body of August while death was tugging and lulling him into eternal sleep.
It was an intense battle of epic proportions that no one has even taken notice of.
Only the two greatest aspects of being a living being, the two protagonists and antagonists, if you could even call them that, had an idea of what was going on.
---
Gel and Erik rushed to get back to the last known location where they left August.
Upon arriving at their destination, there were signs of an intense battle that occurred.
They slowly investigated the area while still making sure to conceal their presence to avoid any unfortunate encounters with the local wildlife.
There was blood everywhere, and the battle's trace has been extended to another portion of the forest.
There was debris from left to right of fallen trees and roughed-up ground from the Boarats pawing the ground.
After a period of time following the traces of battle, the sun was already setting down from its previous apex; they now only have a few hours of daylight left in finding August's whereabouts.
There was already a look of concern on Erik's face; he didn't know the lad that well and could only think that maybe he got the worst part of it, death.
Since there were no longer any signs of struggle in the area, it was a wonder why no beasts could be heard within a kilometer in that area.
Unbeknownst to them, the intelligent predators had mutually agreed to keep a kilometer-wide cordon in that place.
While he was concerned with the surroundings deafening silence.
Gel was concerned about August's safety; was he still alive? Does he need immediate attention? (He did.)
But what if he was ... He was dead already or was dying somewhere with no other human in sight to comfort him.
Different thoughts and emotions were swirling inside Gel; she could only think of the worst and could barely notice the changes that occurred around them.
---
A few moments of walking later, in a clearing where it looked like the place in which the final battle was concluded.
There lies the dead hulking frame of the massive Boarat.
From a glance, they could tell that it died a painful death, with arrows upon arrows sticking out of its body.
And a single arrow pierced its head and another pierced its eye.
They also found a gaping hole in its body; it seemed like something was ripped out from its inside.
"Could it be August's doing? Is that why he was no longer here? Did we miss him by chance and he already returned to the village?"
This was Gels' thought at the moment.
Erik, though, was stunned and unable to speak.
The one we're looking for did this? How old was he again?
Didn't she briefly say that he was almost the same age as them? He is already this strong?
But how???
---
They stood there unmoving for some time; Gel was deciding on what to do: should she return or continue investigating the area?
While Erik... He was simply amazed that someone their age had defeated this powerful beast.
Just when they were about done in their reverie, a sudden powerful gust of wind from above almost knocked them down or worse could have thrown them off.
They could only brace at this sudden wind; a moment later, the towering frame of the mighty Peregrine Eagle landed at their left side.
It was an awesome yet incredibly terrifying experience to be in the presence of such a mythical beast.
Not that they knew he was mythical in any capacity, but they could tell from a single glance that one flap of its wings could destroy towns and decimate villages; its claws were sharp enough to slice them with ease or pierce them like butter.
But they couldn't feel any hostile aura coming from the beast, only the bearing of a Sovereign.
For if they had known, they would have definitely shat their pants, that the beast before them was none other than the 'Empyrian Hunter, Sovereign of the Sky Aetherwing.'
The mighty bird has legends surrounding it, and for nearly a century its battles and hunts were foretold by the generations before them, and up until now the newer generations.
Its stories were awe-inspiring and jaw-dropping, from challenger to a king.
But they didn't know that, did they, at least not yet?
---
After a while of circling the skies of the forest, Aetherwing saw two other humans lurking about the place as if they were inspecting the area or were looking for someone.
They were almost the same size as the lad who battled the Boarat.
Right now he was so high above that no one below could notice him up there; he was camouflaged with the clouds; he used magic to bend the space around him to stealth his massive and powerful presence.
He could see thousands of kilometers down below and see information that even the person did not know of himself.
---
After witnessing that amusing battle, he decided to linger around the area to watch over the dying boy to see if he could recover or succumb to his injuries; he was not hopeful, of course, just from seeing the boy.
But the next moment he saw a flash of powerful light coming out of the unconscious boy; this blinded him, and he was shocked by it.
It was threatening in a sense that a light like that could still affect and instill fear within him.
As the light ripped through the fallen Boarat and took its heart out, the next moment the light had already vanished along with the huge heart, as if being consumed into nothingness, as if it didn't exist in the first place.
Now more than the respect he gave the boy, his interest was piqued; the once-dying boy was now emanating swirls of life for a few minutes.
While its organs were fixed in an instant when the light vanished along with the heart.
This was something new to him; he knew that there were beings out there that could do something similar but not to this degree.
No, this was different; it was more effective than the crude healing techniques the world knows, and this was indeed a first for him.
And a few hours later... While he continued gliding in the air, the boy was now stabilized, but still he did not gain any consciousness, probably from the blood loss and sustained injury.
But whatever that light did, it helped him avoid the immediate afterlife for now.
And it is the reason why he stayed gliding there, watching over the unconscious boy; he wanted to safeguard him from anyone, not until he could ask the boy what that light was. (Not that August knew what happened to him.)
---
But then two other child-sized humans came near the place where the lad had fallen.
They only stood there staring at the Boarat, but it was too close for comfort with his unconscious target.
So he dropped down from thousands of kilometers above the sky, like a peregrine falcon; with his already amazing speed, his lightning and wind affinity made him teleport.
He only dropped until he was a kilometer out of the sky so that he wouldn't kill those beneath him from impact, especially the already knocked-out August.
He dropped near August in between the two dazed children.
He took a closer look at August, then he turned to the other two children.
One had a remarkable spirit emanating around him, and the other had a faint touch of divinity but not enough to be noticed by just anyone.
But with his super keen eyes, he could discern even the faintest of secrets; he could even rival that of the wise dragons.
---
Meanwhile, a thought appeared on the children's minds; it was a form of thought or mental telepathy.
"Who are you, child?"
It asked, both children were bewildered by the sudden voice ringing in their heads; they wondered where it came from.
The next moment, they grasped their heads in pain at this sudden, forceful intrusion.
"Hmmm... it seems I used too much power in it; it has been a while since I communicated with lesser beings; for that, I'm sorry."
He lightly bowed.
Aetherwing realized he was using too much power on his telepathy, so he immediately reduced it and apologized.
Although he was a proud and mighty king, he interestingly knows how to curb his ego when at fault.
And unlike the rest, this is what sets him aside from the other supposed sovereigns.
He gave those two children a bit of time to recover; he also helped them heal a bit by slowly giving them a diluted version of his mana.
After doing so, the children did recover, and they answered his previous question.
"I am Angeline Ross, and I am Erik Rubbard."
...
"I see, and what relation do you have with the child lying behind me?"
A piercing gaze was looking at them, so they answered truthfully.
"A child? she gasped.
Could it be August??? Let me look at him; I've been looking for him for some time now."
"I...I...I only followed her out of concern, to look for her friend..."
Aetherwing looked at them intensely to ascertain whether they were telling the truth or not.
After a long 30 seconds, he knew that not a single lie was told.
But there were tricky beings that could beguile him, so he extended it a bit to see if there would be changes in them.
The boy was just mostly scared because of him, while the girl showed no fear, only concern for her friend.
"I see, you were both truthful with your statements."
"I would have you know if I'd detected a slight malice, you would have gone to the afterlife sooner than the child behind me."
...
"What?!? What happened to Gus? Did he get injured?? Is... is he dying????"
Gel asked with an emotional tone as if in the next moment all the tears she bottled up would begin to fall from her eyes uncontrollably.
"Yes, with his great battle with the beast, he was injured when he got closer to deliver the finishing blow.
The beast stood up as if to take him down with him, and it almost succeeded.
I saw that the lad was on the brink of death, but not until a powerful and terrifying light enveloped him and brought him back to life, stabilizing him and healing his internal injuries, but there may be other injuries that kept him from waking up."
At this point, Gels tear ducts released streams of tears, and she bawled her emotions out.
She mostly didn't hear the words that Aetherwing said; only Erik did, and he was amazed with the boy who saved them at the cost of almost his life.
She ran through Aetherwing; he simply let the girl be as he sidestepped to give way.
---
She grabbed the lying August and turned him upwards from his back.
Afraid to touch him anywhere or worse he'd get more injuries, so she only let him lie on her lap.
While she wept.
"Will he wake up again?"
Teary-eyed and voice cracking, she asked Aetherwing.
"Yes, child, but it is all on him now; whatever power kept him alive has long done its magic."
"I ...see ...."
She returned her weeping gaze at Gus.
"You look deathly pale right now, Gus; wake up soon, please?"